


Confused by Darkness

by dragonswoe



Series: Confused by Time [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-07-17 23:28:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16106012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonswoe/pseuds/dragonswoe
Summary: Tartarus is gone, killed by Nico. While Percy has returned Kronos' soul to the Titan, it's most certainly not over yet. The gods aren't willing to allow the Titans to regain themselves, and with Kronos as a bargaining chip the Titans aren't willing to risk anything. But as Percy soon realises, Tartarus' plan to kill all other Primordials wasn't a success.





	1. Fractured

"How is he?"

Percy glanced towards the door, jerking upright. "What?" He blinked at his father. "Oh, it's you." He relaxed back down and returned his gaze to Kronos. The still blind wolf cubs were once again piled atop Kronos' stomach. It seemed a favourite perch of theirs.

The young Titan hoped it was Kronos' smell that fascinated them so much. They were used to Percy's voice and adored him, but Kronos hadn't so much as stirred in the day since Percy had returned his soul. Soon the pups may no longer be blind, and Percy wanted them to know Kronos before they set their eyes on him.

"Yeah," Poseidon said. "Me. Who were you expecting?"

"I don't know," Percy sighed, rubbing at his eyes – he was an immortal and didn't really need sleep, but being a single father to three needy immortal wolf pups was tiring. "Zeus? He seems to be bothering me a lot."

Poseidon stepped into the reasonably large room, eyes flicking briefly to Kronos before skittering back to Percy as he quietly closed the door behind him. "He wants to see progress."

"Yeah, so do I," Percy huffed. "But he  _is_ getting less pale. Apollo says his ichor's replenishing. The only problem is-"

"He's still not healing," Poseidon finished.

"Yeah."

Poseidon nodded slowly. "Zeus is starting to think that maybe he's more trouble than he's worth."

"Kronos is  _always_ more trouble than he's worth," Percy pointed out longingly. "There's been a change in him though, promise."

Poseidon's expression didn't change. "You should go and eat something, Percy."

"Not hungry."

"Percy, nothing is going to change in the ten minutes that it takes you to eat something." Poseidon guided Percy out of the room. "And you fed your kids an hour ago, they'll be fine for another three."

Percy sighed, but he knew he had to eat something. While immortals didn't need the food, it would be helpful to keep his energy up.

It was when Percy entered Olympus' mess that he remembered why he hadn't eaten there before.

In Kronos' room it was secluded, no one visited other than Poseidon, Zeus, Apollo and the occasional other god. Percy wasn't stared at, he couldn't hear the whispered insults about him and he couldn't hear the hatred directed towards both him and Kronos.

But in the mess it was all too obvious. While Poseidon was next to him, that didn't stop people from trying to subtly point him out, didn't stop other beings from scattering away from him. The terrified nymph all but threw his food at him, unable to meet his eyes, before turning to the next being (whom was standing several yards back from Percy).

Poseidon guided Percy over to a marble table in the corner. "Just ignore them," he advised, squeezing Percy's shoulder in a gesture that was supposed to be comforting, but only made Percy tense up even more. It was easy for Poseidon, he wasn't the subject of their discussions.

When Percy heard a particularly crude comment about Kronos, he snapped his metal fork in half. The sound made everything and everyone else fall silent, and there were hundreds of eyes on him in a split second.

"You know what, Poseidon?" Percy asked flatly in the silence. "I think I'll finish in my room, thanks."

He took his food with him as he left the mess, pointedly ignoring the glares at his back. It wasn't like he cared, everyone moved aside for him despite what they were whispering.

It was on the way back to Kronos that everything escalated. He'd been dealing with the whispers for four days now, but until then no-one tried to harm him.

The back of Percy's neck prickled a warning to him, so Percy was able to turn and tip his still-hot lunch towards the god even as he raised the tray and used it as a shield, tensing his body behind it. A large sword bit into the metal, the tip even emerging from the other side.

Percy ground his teeth, using the tray to force the sword to the side. He twisted to punch the god in the jaw, knocking out a few of his perfect teeth. The god – Hercules – reared back, spluttering.

"You want to try again, little godling?" Percy taunted.

Hercules growled and threw himself at Percy. It wasn't like Percy was concerned, Hercules was the god of bravery. A minor immortal. Percy had trained with Kronos both as a demigod and a Titan. With both of them without weapons – Hercules' sword was stuck in the tray, and Percy didn't want to cause too much of a scene – their fight was a lot less fatal.

Percy's ichor sang in his veins as he ducked a vicious punch then launched his own attack.

The Titan finally slammed the god's head into a marble pillar. Hercules groaned as Percy let him fall. Percy smiled as he noted the god's eyes, one more dilated than the other, and crouched next to him. "Maybe you should try taking on someone more suitable before you attack a Titan," Percy whispered to him. "You might make a better performance then."

He grinned widely as he rose, shoving his hands into his pockets.

On the way back to Kronos' room, Percy's ichor was still boiling. It was great to finally be able to take out his frustrations, and even better that it was against Hercules.

Entering the room, Percy grinned and stretched before shutting the door firmly behind him, and it was then that he cast his eyes towards the bed which Kronos was on.

Three wolf pups squirmed on white sheets, crawling over each other, but there was no other body on the bed. No Kronos.

Percy stilled. His gut was churning, a warning. Percy twisted abruptly, turning around even as something – someone – hit him from behind and he went down. Unlike with Hercules, the force was more than enough to expel all the air from his lungs. He toppled back, slamming his head onto a tray of medical stuff that he couldn't name, and landed heavily on his back, a weight on top of him.

Percy gasped for breath even as he felt familiar hands close around his throat. "Kronos," he choked out as he opened his eyes.

Kronos' eyes were wild and glazed with pain as he stared down at Percy. His golden orbs looked fractured in the light, fractured and unfocused.

"Kronos," Percy repeated fiercely despite the waning oxygen in his lungs, "it's fine, you're alright." His hands were able to scrabble against Kronos' bare chest, pressing against his jackhammering heart. "You're alright," he repeated as black spots appeared in his vision. "Kronos-"

The door burst open and bodies poured in. There were hands pulling at Kronos, dragging him back from Percy and back over to the bed. Poseidon surged straight for the three pups on the bed, gathering them in his arms even as a thrashing Titan was pinned down, smooth cuffs snapping shut around his wrists.

Percy shakily forced himself to his feet as he watched. Apollo worked quickly to connect Kronos to a drip that he'd pulled out and Percy knew what he was going to do.

The young Titan shoved past a few bodies and was soon at Kronos' side. Heart still hammering, Percy made a decision.

In a room full of gods, he cradled Kronos' head and pressed his lips to Kronos' chapped ones. Apollo still fiddled with the drip even as Kronos' struggles stilled.

Percy opened his eyes to see Kronos staring at him, not through him. Golden eyes flicked over Percy's face, taking him in, and Kronos' lips twitched slightly into a broken little smile. Percy pressed their foreheads together.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

Kronos' eyes drooped and he fought to keep them open. "Percy," he whispered, his voice full of wonder and disbelief.

"It's alright," Percy promised, pressing his lips to Kronos' again. It didn't matter that the Titan's lips tasted of ichor. "You're alright," Percy breathed.

Apollo's sedative kicked in, and Kronos' fractured golden eyes finally slid shut.


	2. Meet the Kids

Percy was kicking himself. Really, the ten or so minutes he'd left to get himself food, and Kronos happened to wake. The young Titan didn't know the state Kronos would be in, but he assumed that after torture in the Five Rivers of Tartarus Kronos would panic.

Long after the room had mostly cleared, Percy hung by Kronos' bedside. As he watched, Kronos' chest rose and fell with deep, even breaths. "How bad is it?"

Apollo glanced up at Percy as he fiddled with the machinery. "He's made his injury worse." That, Percy knew. His own wound from Backbiter was still healing and regularly burned – Kronos' wound was far worse. And ichor was leaking through the bandage again, a dead giveaway that Kronos had pulled something and reopened it – not like the stitches holding it together had worked in the first place, but they stopped it from bleeding.

Percy sighed, grumbling under his breath. "How long will he be out?"

"It will hopefully be long enough for me to change this dressing," Apollo promised. When he revealed Kronos' injury, it was like Percy was surprised anymore. He'd seen it enough times over the past few days. Where Percy had been stabbed by Nico just above his right hip, Backbiter had exited Percy's chest and continued on into Kronos' left lung, barely missing his heart, and emerging from his back. Kronos' body had been left soulless by the black blade and Percy – along with Iapetus and Hyperion – had entered the Pit to find Kronos' soul and return it.

The wound was blackened around the edges, the skin having begun to decay with no soul keeping it alive. Ichor ran onto the pristine white sheets of the bed even as more welled over the lip of the hole. It was weird, looking straight through Kronos' lung and seeing the now-golden sheets beneath him.

Apollo cut away the dead skin and muscle – as both he and Percy had been doing to try to slow the decay – until there weren't any blackened areas left. Then Percy helped him to clean the hole, which really consisted of running a warm, wet rag through Kronos' body multiple times, and then smearing an ambrosia paste onto the edges. With that done, they rewrapped Kronos' bandage.

Then came the visit that Percy knew would happen – the one that he'd been dreading. Percy smelt him before he heard or even saw the god.

The Titan figured that Zeus wouldn't be particularly pleased to hear that he stank, so Percy kept his mouth shut.

"I heard what happened," Zeus said by way of a greeting. "He woke?"

"He won't be able to do anything," Apollo warned. "Not for a few weeks. It all depends on if he's able to fight the infection in that wound. And his state of mind."

Zeus stepped into the room, gazing down at Kronos' prone form. "And?"

"He panicked," Percy said flatly. "I'm not sure what you've heard."

Zeus' lip curled. "I've heard that he assaulted you."

"He panicked," Percy repeated curtly. He rose, moving to stand resolutely to block Zeus' view of Kronos. "So, if you please,  _leave_."

The god frowned at him. "Percy-"

" _Leave._ "

When faced with an angry Titan whose ichor was already boiling, even Zeus knew to back down. "Tell me when he wakes," he ordered before storming from the room.

"It won't be long now," Apollo said in the quiet that Zeus left behind.

Percy dragged his eyes back to Kronos. The cuffs that the guards had snapped over his wrists were lightweight but strong. Made of fibres of celestial bronze intertwined, they had a smooth covering of fabric and looked more like a piece of rope than anything elaborate.

But Percy had been informed by Zeus that they had been enchanted to increase their strength.

No matter what they were made of, or the covering to make them more aesthetically pleasing, Kronos was not going to be happy.

"It's best for his safety to not remove them," Apollo informed Percy, guessing what he was thinking. Percy shot him a dark look, and the god sighed. "Really, Percy. He's could easily make his injury worse if he tries to get up again."

"It's not going to help calm him down," Percy warned flatly.

"Yeah?" Apollo questioned with a wry grin. "That's what you're here for."

Percy sighed. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I guess." His eyes flicked to the pups. All three had their ears pricked straight up. For only a few days old, they were oddly alert. Percy didn't know what had happened to them when Kronos woke, though all seemed to be mostly unharmed – aside from the odd alertness. Percy figured Kronos had surprised them. "Think you can leave? Just so there's not a god in the same room as him when he wakes. He'll be angry enough." His eyes flicked to Apollo.

The god nodded slightly. "Sure," he said. "But I'll be outside."

Percy's jaw tightened.

When the god was gone, Percy settled back down next to Kronos. There was a glass of water beside him, one which Percy had already been told to give to Kronos when he woke. His eyes followed Kronos' chest as it steadily rose then fell. Apollo had blockaded Kronos' left lung from the inside so Kronos would be able to breath without drowning in his own ichor, but it also meant that his left lung was currently useless.

Percy leant forward as one of Kronos' fingers twitched. A small movement, but it was followed by a pained groan from the Titan. Kronos' hand flexed, and that was when the fun started.

He immediately realised that he was cuffed down.

Percy moved forwards, leaning over the bed even as Kronos' eyes tightened. He jerked, trying to wrench his hands away from where they were held, but the cuffs held strong.

"Kronos," Percy said, hoping that the other Titan wasn't deaf to the world, but it seemed that Kronos didn't hear him. Percy moved one hand to grab Kronos' wrist, half hoping that the contact would calm him, but also so he could keep an eye on Kronos' heart-rate. Beneath the pads of his fingers, the pulse sky-rocketed. " _Kronos, you idiot._ " Percy ground his teeth. "Look at me, Kronos, come on."

Kronos' chest heaved as the Titan gasped, finding himself short of breath.

Percy awkwardly leant over Kronos, his cuffed hands sort of getting in the way, but Percy was able to cradle Kronos' cheek with his other hand, and he pressed his forehead to Kronos'. It seemed to work last time.

Kronos' eyes flicked beneath his lids, and then his mouth opened and he screamed.

Percy recoiled sharply, his ears ringing. "Kronos!" He roared as the Titan's chest arched in pain. Making a decision, he clamped a hand over Kronos' mouth and nose, watching his eyes. Kronos' hands tugged against the cuffs, and Percy guessed he was trying to claw away at whatever kept him from breathing.

Then Kronos' eyes wildly shot open. Percy waited until those molten orbs had focused on him before letting Kronos go. Kronos' heart still beat fiercely beneath Percy's fingers. "Sorry," Percy murmured, "couldn't think of any other way to wake you." Kronos didn't reply, his chest still heaving. "Calm down," Percy soothed. He rose to his feet, Kronos' eyes tracking his every movement. With a small smile, Percy picked up the three cubs. Zoi whined in his hands. "These," Percy said as he carefully placed them onto Kronos' chest – it wasn't like they weighed anything. "Are ours, and you are not being the lazy father who does nothing for his kids anymore."

Kronos blinked at the cubs. "Ours…?" He echoed, sounding completely bewildered. His voice was hoarse.

"Yes," Percy said. "Ours. This is Zoi, that's Agápi and that's Exousía. Be nice." Percy grinned widely at the expression on Kronos' face, the utter astonishment in his eyes.

Kronos squinted at the cubs on his chest, eyes focusing fiercely on the little immortals. Then his eyes flicked up to Percy. "How long was I gone for?"

Percy frowned at Kronos. "You got stabbed like five days ago now."

The Titan blinked. "That's… what?"

That was when realisation dawned. Percy snorted. "Chaos, Kronos. I didn't give birth to them. No, our ichor mixed and since Gaea was there she decided to give life to it. I don't know why."

"I do," Kronos said lowly.

Percy gave him an odd look, but didn't say anything. If Kronos wasn't offering up an explanation then he didn't want to share it.

The young Titan reached for the glass of water and offered it to Kronos.

Kronos turned up his nose, his eyebrows drawing down into a – dare Percy say it? – adorable little frown. "No."

Percy sighed. "Kronos, I can't keep you alive solely on a drip. You need to drink something."

Kronos' frown deepened as he turned his eyes to the drip. His eyes flicked back and forth between the different machinery and then his elbow where the intravenous catheter was held in place by a neon pink – Zeus' idea – length of tape. Gauze crinkled as Kronos tensed.

"Where did you say I was?"

"I didn't," Percy said quietly. Kronos evidently didn't remember being held down by several gods during his wild panic. Kronos' jaw flexed and he bit down on his bottom lip hard enough to draw ichor. "Don't," Percy warned. "You've lost three times your body weight in ichor over the past few days."

"Where am I?"

"You'd already lost a lot of blood," Percy started, "and the Titans were surrounded. I couldn't heal you and your soul was gone and-" he cut himself off at Kronos' fierce flinch. "What's wrong?"

"Don't mention that."

Percy pressed his lips together. "Okay," he whispered. "Look," he said, forcing his voice to soften. "It was the only option at the time, and yeah, I'm not gonna lie. It sort of sucks. But this room is in a secluded corner of Apollo's temple and it's only you and me."

Kronos' lips twitched up very slightly. Though he still looked irritated – and a little worried – he seemed a little mollified. "And the kids."

"And the kids," Percy agreed with a small smile. He sighed. "Your blood vessels will soon be too small to get a catheter in, so you have to drink. If not today, then tomorrow. Promise?"

Kronos avoided his gaze, eyes finding the three pups crawling over his chest. Zoi misplaced a paw and squealed as he toppled the  _exceedingly_  large distance from Kronos' chest onto the ichor-soaked sheets. "Promise," Kronos echoed as he watched Percy give an exasperated little huff before picking up Zoi and replacing him onto Kronos' chest.

"Good," Percy said with a faint smile. Kronos met his eyes briefly then, and even though it had been short, it was more than enough time for Percy to see the pain etched deep into the corner of his eyes.

Whatever had happened to Kronos while Tartarus was inhabiting his body and while his soul suffered in the Cocytus and Phlegathon, he most certainly hadn't forgotten.

Percy wasn't enough of a fool to think anything was that easy.


	3. Necrotic

Percy watched, tense on the edge of the little old chair next to Kronos' side. The three cubs squirmed and whined in his grasp, wanting to get back onto their perch. But Apollo was busy checking Kronos over and they'd only be in the way.

They'd tried to do it without moving them, but  _Agápi_ had growled his displeasure when he smelt the god looming over and had swatted at Apollo's hand with his little paws.  _Exousía_  had pounced on his other hand, firmly pinning it down. And little  _Zoi,_ the golden-eyed cub, had settled down on Kronos' chest to take up a sentinel position, growling a warning whenever Apollo tried to do anything. Since Kronos was cuffed down, he didn't help and only looked on in amusement with their fierce defence of him.

"You really should drink," Apollo insisted as he gently prodded the area around Kronos' injury. It was still wrapped, but Apollo wanted to see if Kronos could feel the pain.

Kronos' jaw flexed, his eyes turned to the side. Slightly-glazed gold fixed intently on Percy. It was horrible, watching how he avoided the god's eyes. The small flinches that raked through his body whenever Apollo gingerly touched his chest. Percy had  _never_ seen Kronos so submissive to anyone.

How long had he been in the Stygian Swamp? A week, maybe. Two at most, Percy would say.

Apollo seemed completely aware that Kronos was uneasy with the situation. He worked quickly.

"Does this hurt?" Apollo questioned, lightly pressing onto the area that Percy knew was blackened from infection.

The door burst open, slamming heavily against the wall and Kronos jerked upright in surprise. Or at least he tried to. The cuffs kept him down. Sharp fear flicked across his glazed eyes briefly.

"Kronos?" Apollo prompted, flatly ignoring his father. "Can you feel this?"

"No."

Percy pressed his lips together, also ignoring Zeus as the god leant back against the now-closed door.

"Can you feel any of this?" Apollo questioned.

Kronos chose not to answer, apparently deciding that with Zeus present he had no need to answer. Embers of a once-fierce fire smoulder in his eyes as he watched Zeus, tracking his every movement across the room.

Apollo seemed to realise that with Zeus now in the room, Kronos was preoccupied. He sighed. "Kronos. This is important. I've spent the last five days keeping you alive and a little help now that you're awake would be appreciated."

Percy slipped his hand into Kronos', gently squeezing it. "Hey," he murmured. His soft tone had Kronos' attention almost immediately. While it took a few seconds for Kronos to focus on Percy, when he did he calmed slightly. "Please?" He moved his thumb in small circles over the back of Kronos' hand, waiting patiently.

Percy's other hand moved up to trace a white scar down Kronos' face, his lips turning down slightly. Kronos had had that scar long before he'd met Percy. Percy lingered briefly near Kronos' lips, and the Titan turned his head slightly to press his lips against Percy's palm. The young Titan's heart sort of melted.

"Kronos?" Apollo prompted. Percy's eyes flashed darkly, momentarily storming over at the interruption, but Apollo seemed awkward as it was so he didn't say anything and only sat back.

Kronos' eyes followed him.

Apollo pressed down slightly harder than before on Kronos' chest, but the Titan made no movement. "You can't feel this," he guessed.

"No. Nothing."

Percy's eyes flicked to Apollo. The god didn't seem pleased. "You need to drink."

"No."

"Apollo?" Percy questioned.

Apollo reached for the bandage over Kronos' chest, firmly unwrapping it. Kronos twisted to watch, hands clenching as he saw his injury for the first time.

As Percy watched, Apollo pressed firmly down on the hardened black skin around the hole. "You don't feel that?"

"No, no pain." Kronos blinked, eyes flicking up to Apollo.

Apollo slowly moved away from the wound, continually asking Kronos if he felt pain. It was only when he reached the border between black and inflamed gold skin that Kronos hissed, his jaw clenching. "Felt that," he said.

The god nodded slightly.

Percy frowned deeply. They'd only reapplied the bandage perhaps an hour before and it already had a sticky coating of discharge stretched over the white fabric. The ambrosia paste had been absorbed by Kronos' body, but seemed to have done little to combat the infection.

Apollo didn't ask any more questions as he worked to reapply the bandage again, smearing a generous amount of ambrosia over Kronos' chest.

When he was done, Zeus was the first to speak again. "What does it mean?"

Apollo glanced back at his father, his lips pressing together. He took the glass of water and mixed nectar and a sweet sugar solution into it. Then he answered. "His skin's gone necrotic, several layers from the looks of it. I can't tell how far the infection has spread yet, since it seems to be in his ichor – which is very bad, by the way. I can't tell how deep it is either, but the entire perimeter of the wound – both inside and on the skin – is hardened and blackened. That means his left lung's probably completely infected too and since I blocked it off it won't spread into the other, which is good news. But it seems-"

"You blocked off my left lung?" Kronos demanded.

Apollo ignored him. "Wherever Backbiter touched there's an infection which has spread. One of his ribs is liquefying because it's gone necrotic." Apollo showed them the inside of the bandage, the sticky plasma over it. "This is not specifically puss or discharge. It's decayed bone and skin – decayed body cells."

Realisation dawned on Percy then. "His body's liquefying?"

"Essentially, yes," Apollo said. "Unless we can stop the infection." He pulled a chair up and turned to Kronos. The glass of water, nectar and sugar was in his hand. "And the first step to do that is to get you hydrated again and get you some energy. The more energy you have, the more you'll be able to fight the infection yourself."

Kronos' dry and cracked lips pressed together. "Backbiter did this?"

"Not only Backbiter," Apollo said quietly. "Otherwise Percy would have it too."

Percy blinked, twisting to lift up the side of his shirt. While the injury was still a bright gold, swollen and sore, it hadn't gone necrotic.

"I suspect," Apollo murmured, "that Hyperion was unable to get a few pieces of Tartarus out of you. Chances are it's them causing this."

Kronos' eyes grew cloudy slightly, and Percy tightened his grip on his hand until the haze had gone.

Apollo's blue eyes were hard as he stared Kronos down, the water in his hand. "You need to drink something. You're so dehydrated that I can't get another catheter into you to pump in antibiotics and the current one isn't able to supply enough saline to keep you hydrated." Eyes like steel, Apollo continued. "Kronos, you  _will_ die if you don't drink this."

Kronos' jaw tightened. "Release my hands then."

Zeus snorted from his position leaning against the door. "Not going to happen."

"I'm  _not_ going to be fed."

"None of your hands are being released," Zeus said flatly.

"Father," Apollo said quietly. "We can keep the cuff on, but detach it from the railing."

Zeus' eyes narrowed.

"He needs to move," Apollo continued. "And we're here, his other will still be cuffed. The enchantments will stop him doing anything and the cuff can stay on."

Zeus finally nodded. "But the cuff stays on."

Kronos tiredly rolled his eyes towards Percy, causing the younger Titan to crack a small smile. With the decision reached, Percy leant forwards under Zeus' watchful eye to unlatch the part of the cuff that kept Kronos' hand tied to the rail. After unlatching it, Percy had revealed the basic bolted mechanism and undid that too.

It was awkward to get Kronos sitting with one hand still cuffed down and he whined a bit as the movement pulled on his injury slightly, but Percy and Apollo managed.

Apollo patiently held the glass out to Kronos.

The Titan stared at it for several long moments, before his eyes skittered to the side slightly. "If I'm drinking it, it's going to be in something other than glass."

Apollo lifted an eyebrow, but didn't comment and instead fiddled about for a few minutes before coming back with the water in a plastic cup. Kronos' fingers closed around the plastic, his arm shaking slightly.

Percy was already supporting him to help him sit up, and he figured that Kronos wouldn't appreciate any more assistance. Percy pressed his lips together, watching and ready to help, but resigned to wait until Kronos requested assistance.

Kronos took his time to drain the cup, taking a small sip at a time.

Percy glanced up when the door closed, relaxing when he realised that Zeus had left.

The remaining god in the room sighed as he took the plastic cup back. "Sorry," he apologised. "I tried to tell him to wait until I'd done the checks and figured out what was wrong with you."

Kronos flexed his free arm, shaking it out with a slightly pained frowned. "Why are you helping me?"

Apollo shrugged. "You're injured – I'm a healer. Why not?"

The Titan's frown deepened. He didn't resist as Apollo cuffed him back to the railing.

The god sighed deeply. "We'll wait a few hours to see if you keep that down before getting you another. I'll see about getting you un-cuffed to get ichor flowing again, your legs are probably numb."

Kronos' eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched Apollo leave, closing the door behind him.

Percy exhaled deeply. He clicked his tongue. "Zoi, Agápi, Exousía."

At his call, the three cubs skittered out from under the bed where they'd been sheltering.

"Right," Percy said as the three sat in a little line before him. "You three – I think Kronos needs some cheering up."

Kronos' eyes widened in horror as the three kids climbed up the sheet that dangled onto the floor – strategically placed by Percy so the kids could reach Kronos without him having to lift them. "Percy," Kronos groaned. "No."

Percy just smiled. "Don't be a wuss," he chided, watching at the cubs bundled together in the concave of Kronos' stomach.


	4. Septic Shock

Percy was quickly slipping into a routine.

In between the periods when Kronos was awake, Percy was able to leave to get himself a quick meal – though he never stayed in the mess for any longer than was necessary – and get the kids fed, still lukewarm milk.

Then he'd be back with time to spare, time to just sit and observe Kronos as he slept, before Kronos woke and inevitably panicked. Without fail, every time Kronos came around he panicked, eyes glazed and unfocused until he ran short of breath or Percy was able to calm him – whichever happened to come first.

When Kronos had fallen asleep after his initial wake-up, Apollo had snuck back in to put another catheter beside the first one. Kronos had not been pleased when he woke to find himself hooked up to yet another thing.

As it currently was, Kronos was very slowly recovering through Apollo's ministrations, Percy's care, the regular mix of water and a few other things that the god in question was able to slip into Kronos either with or without the Titan's knowledge.

Kronos, hands still tied to the railing, was soothing one hand over the cub sprawled over his abdomen when Percy returned from a meeting the gods had ordered him to join. Percy was faintly surprised to see him up.

"How's your chest?" Percy asked as he reached across Kronos to grab the water for him, fiddling to un-cuff a hand as he did so. Kronos didn't need prompting, taking the concoction from Percy and downing it.

Kronos shrugged faintly, then winced. "It's fine." He blinked at Percy, and then his eyes unfocused slightly and slid past him, staring at nothing.

Percy frowned, reaching for the bandage and carefully unwinding it. The past few days the necrotic skin had stopped spreading so quickly. Percy's frown deepened and he traced a finger over the slightly swollen streaks through Kronos' skin. Kronos' skin was clammy and far, far too cold for an immortal. The dark, swollen lines criss-crossed out from the injury.

The younger Titan's jaw clenched. "Kronos," he said, loudly to get the other Titan's attention. Percy lifted a hand. "How many fingers do you see?" Kronos shot him a dull glare. "Just humour me, Firefly."

The old mocking name for Kronos seemed to get his attention. Kronos sighed, but followed the request. He blinked a few times before giving Percy an answer. While it wasn't answering Percy's question, it definitely answered something.

Percy pressed his lips together. "I'll be right back," he promised, leaning forward to briefly kiss Kronos. "Try to stay awake."

Kronos frowned at him. "Percy, I'm…" His frown deepened slightly. "I'm fine."

Percy ignored him, making his way for the door out of the room and making sure it was shut behind him before running.

"Hey," a voice yelled after Percy in the main market street of Olympus, "watch where you're going,  _Titan_!"

Percy would've turned and given the nymph a harsh retort, if he wasn't preoccupied.

Percy didn't slow even as he neared the throne room doors, throwing himself at them with all his strength and knocking them open on their hinges. One of them slammed against the wall and he immediately had the attention of the gods.

Zeus' expression twisted in anger as he rose to his feet. "I thought I had dismissed you," he boomed.

"Yeah," Percy said. "You had." He wanted to get straight to the point, wanted to tell Apollo that he needed him, but didn't. Percy bowed to the god. "And I apologise for disrupting your  _highly important_ meeting," Poseidon's lips twitched slightly, but Percy didn't look at him just in case it would make him laugh, "but Kronos just asked me where he was. And I'm pretty sure I've already told him a few times over the past days. He's out of it, completely. Eyes weren't focusing." Percy turned to Apollo. "I need your help."

Apollo looked to Zeus. "It seems serious," he gravely told his father. "Very serious. It could be something fatal."

Percy's eyes widened slightly.

Zeus sighed heavily. "Very well," he relented with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You are dismissed, Apollo."

The god gravely nodded.

As soon as they left the throne room, Apollo sighed and stretched. "Thanks, Perce," he said, winking at the Titan. "You saved me from having to listen to any more of that.  _'Titans spotted in Michigan, Titans in Virginia. Titans everywhere!'_ "

"Really?" Percy asked.

Apollo paused. "I shouldn't have said that, should I?"

Percy smiled. "Probably not," he agreed, before he dropped the topic. "I'm serious though, I think Kronos might have an ichor infection now."

Apollo grabbed hold of Percy's forearm and flashed them into Kronos' room. He blinked as he observed Kronos. "Ah, yes, I see what you mean."

Percy swore under his breath, rushing over to the bed. "Kronos," he said fiercely as he cradled the older Titan's head in his hands, "Kronos, come on. I told you to stay awake."

"I'wake," Kronos slurred, blinking rapidly at Percy. The heart-rate monitor was beeping a lot faster than it should be. "Do'worry."

"Yeah," Percy growled, "I am."

Apollo was busy fiddling with the various drips. And, as Percy watched, Kronos' eyes unfocused, glazing over briefly as he blinked at Percy, and then they rolled up in his head.

Percy's eyes widened. "Kronos-"

"I was me," Apollo curtly told Percy. "I need him asleep."

Percy noted the drip in the crook of Kronos' elbow feeding him a steady supply of a thick, white solution. "What…?"

"Carfentanil," Apollo said. He pulled on some gloves, nodding to the panicking cubs whom were nosing at Kronos. "Can you take them and yourself outside?"

"What are you going to do?" Percy questioned.

The god pressed his lips together. "I'm going to remove any particles of Tartarus that still remain," he said.

"Is this bad?"

"Depends. It has come on  _very_ quickly, which is cause for concern." Apollo frowned briefly at Percy, before he turned to face the heart-rate monitor. "And if I'm right it's been chugging along in the background for a while." As the look on Percy's face, he elaborated. "Septic shock. The infection has reached a vital organ, essentially. Now  _go_."

Percy nodded sharply and grabbed the cubs, gathering them up in his arms despite their squirming and crying for their father – at least that's what it seemed to be – and then Percy left the room, leaving Apollo to sort it out. This was far beyond Percy's capabilities now.


	5. Omniscient

Percy realised while he was waiting that the cubs could see. Zoi wasn't just blindly exploring now, but bounded around with youthful enthusiasm as he sniffed at everything he could find. The other two cubs weren't far behind their brother.

Far from being clumsy, blind cubs, the three were shaping up to be quite energetic individuals. The three eventually lined themselves up in front of the door back into Kronos' room.

"Percy," a voice said from the entrance and Percy twisted until he saw Poseidon striding across the room towards him, face set in a deep frown.

"Dad." Percy sighed. "I thought you were all in a meeting?"

"We were," Poseidon informed him. "It finished, so I came to see you. You seemed… distraught, when you ran in."

Percy frowned slightly at his father. "How long has it been?"

Poseidon lifted an eyebrow. "Two hours."

And that was why Kronos was the Titan of Time, and not Percy. "Oh." Percy pressed his lips together, pretending that he wasn't hearing the muttering around them.

His father frowned. "Walk with me," he requested.

Percy glanced towards the room where Kronos was. "I should stay here."

"Apollo's with him, Percy. He won't let Kronos die," Poseidon assured him. "We won't be long anyway."

Percy hesitated. "But-"

"Spend some time with your old man, son?"

Percy scowled. "Guilt-tripping me into it isn't fair."

Poseidon just smiled, completely shameless as he watched Percy gather up the cubs. Then Percy turned to face his father. "Well? Go on."

The three immortal cubs trailed after Percy and Poseidon as they left Apollo's temple, but that just brought Percy onto the streets of Olympus. He tried not to show how much the gossip affected him, but it was hard. Especially when citizens of Olympus saw the cubs trotting along by Percy's side. Percy sought out the cubs and kept them close. He wouldn't be surprised if an arrow suddenly shot from their surroundings aimed at his kids.

Poseidon took Percy to an open grassy area with a large lake in the centre.

His father seemed somewhat tired as he turned to Percy. "I'm sorry," he apologised. "The two of you don't deserve the hate you get."

Percy pressed his lips together. "Yeah, well, I'm used to it now." He tilted his head to the side to watch the three cubs hesitate. The grass was obviously too different for them to be calm, too squashy beneath their little paws. Little Zoi whined and pressed his cold nose against Percy's ankle, eyeing the grass around him with suspicion. Silver-eyed Exousía snarled and pounced on her sister Agápi, the two girls starting to tussle in the dirt. Though they squealed when they brushed against the grass. Percy put his arms on his hips, frowning down at Zoi. "What are you doing? Come on, you're supposed to be the brave one, little guy." He gave Zoi a little nudge with his foot, hoping the cub would go play with his sisters. "Go show them who's the boss." But, just like Kronos would have, Zoi turned his puppy eyes towards Percy. His heart melted into a puddle of goo. Percy softly gave Zoi another little nudge and, again just like Kronos, Zoi's mood changed and he growled softly before pouncing onto Percy's foot.

"They shouldn't be here."

Percy glanced up at his father, fiercely narrowing his eyes. "They're staying with me," he defended.

"I know – that's not what I meant," Poseidon said softly. He sighed and sat at the edge of the lake, patting the ground next to him.

Percy sat, soothing a hand over Zoi's raised hackles. The girls retreated to Percy, searching for something familiar to them and settling next to his legs, leaning into his warmth.

"Wasn't it?"

"Percy," Poseidon sighed. "Please. Listen." He waited until he was sure he had Percy's attention before continuing. "Apollo's finally fixing Kronos properly. Once he's able to move and stand and fight, Zeus will take him away from you. You will be put on trial for high treason against us."

"I'll be executed," Percy guessed. It wasn't like it was anything that he wasn't expecting. Zeus was eerily similar to Kronos in that regard. "So what's your plan?" He questioned as he tightened his grip on the cubs – still so small and weak and easily crushable.

Poseidon made small whirlpools in the lake. "In one of my regular visits to you, you take your chance."

"I don't have a blade," Percy reminded him. Lies, of course. Percy's never forgotten Riptide, the blade of the sea that he's kept.

Poseidon smiled. "Of course not, my dear brother must have misplaced one."

Percy hesitated. "Dad-"

"No, Percy. You are my son – I value your life far more than I do that of Olympus. Perhaps one day you will understand that a father will do anything for their child." Some would, some wouldn't. Percy was already realising that he'd do anything to keep his own kids safe. From the look on Kronos' face every time he looked at the cubs, he felt much the same. "Percy, this is no place for you to raise them. I have faith that you will be a brilliant father, you and Kronos both – with a little push in the correct direction, perhaps."

Percy shut his eyes. "What about you?"

"Erebus is still out there somewhere," Poseidon said. "And the other Primordials seem to have mostly disappeared, save for a few. Zeus will do nothing to me, no matter what he suspects, so long as Erebus is out there. He will not risk losing Atlantis' support."

"What's he planning with Kronos?"

Poseidon sighed. "He was going to get him to swear fealty to the Olympians."

"Kronos would never do that."

"Really?" Poseidon asked softly. "Not even if your life and those of your children depended on it?"

Horror bloomed and Percy's stomach churned. "That's why I'm still alive," he realised, feeling sick. "I'll be the leverage, then I'll be killed as soon as Kronos has sworn fealty."

"Yes."

"Kronos would be proud of Zeus' manipulations if he weren't the one who'd suffer," Percy said bitterly.

"That he would," Poseidon agreed. "You see why I want to help you?"

"Yes," Percy admitted.

Poseidon nodded slightly. "Good. Because Iapetus will be in New York tomorrow evening."

Percy stared at his father. "How…?"

The god winked at him. "I have my sources."

Percy slowly nodded. "Alright. Yeah, let's do this."

Poseidon smiled. "I waited until the cubs were able to see before I decided to contact them," Poseidon said. "Or as close to when I assumed they'd be able to see."

Kronos waking had startled the cubs. Percy didn't want to know how they'd react to fleeing Olympus, and he found that he didn't particularly want to know. "Kronos may not be healed," Percy said quietly.

"Probably not," Poseidon agreed. "But this may be your only option before Zeus makes his move. He'll wait until Kronos is somewhat healed before getting him, so that may be for the best."

"How will we get past the gods?" Percy questioned. "Kronos won't be able to fight. I can't keep him upright, keep an eye on the cubs, and fight."

"I'll deal with that," Poseidon promised. He reached over to clap Percy on the shoulder, squeezing slightly. "You are no god, Percy. I cannot say that I am pleased by the way things have turned out, but if you are happy, then I am happy. I am proud of you, no matter what happened – do not forget that."

Percy nodded slightly. "I won't," he softly promised. "Thanks, dad."

Poseidon simply nodded in return, and the two immortals turned to watch the cubs. The three had managed to clamber onto Percy's legs and balanced there, peering down at the grass. Exousía tackled Agápi, sending the two down onto the grass. They squealed in panic, little claws scrabbling to get back onto their perches.

"Honestly," Percy moaned. "You kids are supposed to be courageous. What's wrong with you?" Zoi sneezed, the sharp sound startling his sisters and managing to send himself tumbling backwards with a surprised little yelp. Percy struggled to contain his laughter.

"They'll grow," Poseidon said, not bothering to stop himself from laughing like Percy was. "Don't worry, they'll grow."

Percy smoothed out Zoi's hackles again, his other hand reaching for the girls. "I hope so. As entertaining as they are, I worry for them when they're so small."


End file.
